Hand steerable sports scooter

ABSTRACT

A steerable sports scooter including a bi-laterally pivotable independent forward portion, a hand-operable direction controller, and an independent rearward portion in secured communication with the forward portion and having a support surface upon which to stand. Preferably, the forward portion of the scooter is angularly adjustable for selecting approach pitch, while the rearward portion includes a brake member. The brake member may be a manual brake member or a mechanical brake member. The scooter may be a snow scooter. The snow scooter may include a skag. The skag may be detachable and may be connected to the brake member. A preferable direction controller is a stem with a handle bar set for grasping and turning by hand. Most preferably, the stem is in axially pivotally attached communication with the forward portion for selectively moving the stem between a generally vertical and a generally horizontal orientation to thereby permit folding upon the snow scooter for easy carrying and transport. The steerable scooter so defined permits the user thereof to easily ride and maneuver over a snow surface for an enjoyable experience. The snow scooter may include a wheel component(s) or a tread positioned below the rearward portion to facilitate movement of the scooter through snow.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application60/355,710, filed Feb. 7, 2002, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/912,919, filed Jul. 25, 2001, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/133,100,filed Nov. 22, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. D451,162.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

(Not Applicable)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related in general to indoor/outdoor sportsequipment, and in particular to a hand steerable scooter having anindependent forward portion that is pivotable by choice of a user forsteering the scooter as the user stands on the rear portion and travelsover a surface. For example, the scooter may be a snow scooter thattravels over a groomed and/or non-groomed snow path.

Participation in winter sports is a favorite pastime for many people asthey experience downhill and cross-country skiing, ice-skating, playinghockey, ice fishing, and other activities. One such activity thatcontinues to gain significant popularity is snowboarding. Specifically,snowboarding usually occurs on groomed ski slopes where skiers andsnowboarders compete for downhill space. A present typical snowboard isconstructed as a generally flat, relatively light-weight and smoothpolymer board with at least one pocket structure mounted on the top ofthe board for accommodating the front portion of a booted foot of auser. In operation, the user positions the snowboard at the top of a skitrail, stands on the top of the snowboard with the front portion of onefoot in the pocket structure, and thereafter propels and travels downthe trail while balancing on the snowboard.

As is apparent from the above description of a usual snowboard, the userthereof must steer the snowboard by shifting body weight and without skipoles or the like as the snowboard travels, many times at high speed,down the ski trail. This situation can be, or become, very difficult forthe user to maintain since the user may not have the expertise and/orthe ability to favorably enjoy a downhill ride. In view of thissnowboard expertise requirement, it is a primary object of the presentinvention to provide a snow scooter that is hand steerable by theonboard user and more user friendly as an enjoyable sport rider.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hand steerablesnow scooter that preferably has integral therewith a user-operablebrake member. The brake member may be a manual brake member or amechanical brake member.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a handsteerable snow scooter whose steerability preferably is accomplishedwith a handlebar type of direction controller.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a powered(e.g., battery-powered) hand steerable snow scooter.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparentthroughout the description thereof which now follows.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a steerable sports scooter including abi-laterally pivotable independent forward portion, a hand-operabledirection controller in communication with the forward portion, and anindependent rearward portion, said rearward portion in securedcommunication with the forward portion and having a support surface uponwhich to stand.

Preferably, the forward portion of the scooter is angularly adjustableupwardly and downwardly in relation to a horizontal plane for selectingapproach pitch, while the rearward portion includes a brake member forstopping the scooter during travel, for example for stopping the scooteron groomed and/or non-groomed snow, or even travel on a non-snow surfacesuch as upon sand.

A preferable direction controller is a stem with a first end thereofattached to the forward portion and a second end thereof bearing ahandle bar set for grasping and turning by hand. Most preferably, thefirst end of the stem is in axially pivotally attached communicationwith the forward portion for selectively moving the stem between agenerally vertical orientation and a generally horizontal orientation tothereby permit folding the stem for easy carrying and transport.

The handle bars preferably include a spring biased latch mechanism thatallows the handles to be collapsed for travel and storage but which lockinto place to prevent inadvertent collapse of the handles during use.

Preferably, the steerable scooter is a steerable snow scooter. Thesteerable scooter so defined permits the user thereof to more easilyenjoy over-snow travel and thereby greatly enhance the sportingexperience.

Preferably, the rearward portion of the snow scooter has a groovedbottom.

The snow scooter may have one or more wheel components that facilitatemovement. Such wheel components may be motorized. Preferably, the wheelcomponents are retractable.

The snow scooter may have a tread to facilitate movement.

The brake member may be a manual brake member or a mechanical brakemember. The snow scooter may include a skag. The skag may be detachableand may be connected to the brake member.

Other embodiments of the sports scooter may include wheels attached tothe bottom of the scooter for use on surfaces such as concrete orpavement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of the invention isshown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steerable snow scooter in operationalconfiguration;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the snow scooter of FIG. 1 in collapsedconfiguration;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one lateral side of adjacent forward andrearward portions of the snow scooter of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the lateral side opposite that shown inFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the rearward portion of the snowscooter of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the snow scooter of FIG. 1 on itsside;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the rearward portion of the snow scooterof FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the rearward portion of the snow scooterof FIG. 1 on its side;

FIG. 9 is a side perspective view of the rearward portion of the snowscooter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bottom of the rearward portion ofthe snow scooter of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of the bottom of the rearward portionof the snow scooter shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the aft area of the bottom of therearward portion of a snow scooter as shown in FIG. 1 including a brakeplate and a skag;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the brake plate and skag shown in FIG.12 with the skag detached from the brake plate;

FIG. 14 is a side perspective view of the aft area of the rearwardportion of a snow scooter as shown in FIG. 1 including a mechanicalbrake;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the bottom of the mechanical brake(including a skag) shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the mechanical brake shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present inventionhaving a mechanical tread below the bottom of the rearward portion ofthe scooter;

FIG. 18 is a rear perspective view of the snow scooter having amechanical tread as shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a battery powered snowscooter;

FIG. 20 is a top perspective view of the motor of the battery poweredsnow scooter shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a side perspective view of the battery powered snow scootershown in FIG. 19 with the wheels in a deployed-position;

FIG. 22 is a bottom perspective view of the motor component of thebattery powered snow scooter shown in FIG. 19;

FIGS. 23-25 illustrate handlebars of a steerable sports scooter having alatch mechanism; and

FIGS. 26-27 are perspective views of a scooter with wheels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A steerable sports scooter is shown and described herein. Exemplaryembodiments of the steerable sports scooter include a steerable snowscooter and a steerable rollable scooter.

Referring to FIGS. 1-25, a hand steerable snow scooter 10 isillustrated. The snow scooter 10 has a bi-laterally pivotableindependent forward portion 12 for traveling over snow, and ahand-operable direction controller preferably in the form of atelescopically length-adjustable stem 14 with a first end 16 thereof inattached communication with the forward portion 12 of the snow scooter10 and a second end 18 thereof bearing a handle bar set 20 for grasping.Such telescopic length adjustability of the stem 14 is accomplished witha standard hand-operable setscrew device 22 whereby the top section 24of the stem 14 can travel within the lower section 26 of the stem 14when the setscrew device 22 is loosened and retained in a selectedtelescopic position upon tightening of the setscrew device 22. Finally,the snow scooter 10 includes a rearward portion 28 that has a supportsurface 30 upon which to stand. The rearward portion 28 is secured tothe forward portion 12 with a connector joint 32.

In general, the rearward portion 28 is similar to prior art snowboards.The shape and material used for the rearward portion can be the same asany known prior art snowboards. As snowboard technology evolves in thefuture, new technologies (e.g., modified shapes or materials), therearward portion 28 of the present invention can be adapted toaccommodate new technologies of snowboards. Prior art snowboards mayhave an edge made out of a material, e.g., metal, which aids in the useof the snowboard. For example, many snowboards have sharp metal edgesaround the center of the snowboard and dull edges around the front andback of the snowboard. This edging helps the rider control the snowboardas desired. The sharp edges toward the center of the snowboard allow therider to cut into the snow. Various embodiments of the present inventionmay have a rearward portion 28 that includes metal edges such as thosetypically found on many prior art snowboards.

Preferably, the rearward portion 28 and forward portion 12 each have athickness t of about ½ inch. Preferably, the top sides of the rearwardportion 28 and forward portion 12 are chamfered as shown in FIG. 7 suchthat the bottom of the sides are substantially perpendicular (i.e., forma 90° angle) from the bottom surface 62. The side edges angle in atabout a 45° angle approximately half-way up the side edge. If thethickness t is ½ inch, there is about ¼ inch of the side edge at 90°from the bottom surface and about ¼ inch at a 45° angle. As shown in thefigures, the forward portion 12 preferably has a curved front edge. Theback edge of the forward portion 12 may be curved as shown in FIG. 1 orsubstantially flat as shown in FIG. 17.

The length of the rearward portion 28 preferably is greater than thelength of the forward portion 12. In exemplary embodiments, the length Lof the rearward portion 28 is three times the length of the forwardportion 12. As best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, in exemplary embodiments, therearward portion has a length L of about 36 inches. In exemplaryembodiments, the rearward portion 28 has a width at the center d (i.e.,about 18 inches from either end) of about 8¼ inches that widens slightlyto a width near the ends d of approximately 9 inches. In exemplaryembodiments, the width of the forward portion 12 is about the same asthe width of the rearward portion 28. Preferably, the two ends 29 of therearward portion 28 curve upward as shown in FIG. 9 so that the ends 29of the rearward portion 28 are raised. In exemplary embodiments, theraised height h is approximately 3½ inches above the middle section ofthe rearward portion 28.

As shown clearly in FIGS. 1-4, the connector joint 32 has a firstelement 34 in attached communication to the forward portion 12 through abase 50 and a second element 36 connected to a slotted pivotal joint 38attached to the rearward portion 28. A stalk 40 extends from a base 50into the first element 34 and is secured therein with a pin 42. A stopmember, preferably constructed as a limited-length slot 44 within whichthe pin 42 passes, functions to limit bi-lateral pivotal movement of theforward portion 12. The base 50 preferably includes a standard ratchetassembly (not shown) within a housing 52 and with an externallyaccessible set lever 54 whereby the forward portion 12 is movable eitherto a folded position or, as would be recognized by a skilled artisan,angularly adjustable upwardly and downwardly in relation to a horizontalplane to thereby select as desired a forward pitch of the forwardportion 12. Finally, as shown in FIG. 2, the pivotal joint 38accommodates the second element 36 of the connector joint 32 and isprovided with an arcuate slot 56 within which a setscrew pin 58projecting from the second element 36 rides for selectively folding thestem 14 between a generally vertical orientation (FIG. 1) and agenerally horizontal orientation (FIG. 2) and thereafter releasablysecuring the chosen orientation.

As shown in FIGS. 6, 10 and 11, the bottom surface 62 of the rearwardportion 28 is preferably grooved. In exemplary embodiments, each of thegrooves are about 14 mm wide and about ⅜ inch deep. Preferably, eachgroove is spaced about 12 mm away from the next groove and the first andlast grooves are located about 24 mm from the outer edges of the bottomsurface 62 of the rearward portion 28. Preferably, the grooves extendthe entire flat portion of the bottom surface 62, ending at the pointwhere the rearward portion 28 curves upwardly. The grooved surface aidsin proper tracking of the snow scooter 10 and helps the rider of thesnow scooter 10 in maneuvering, e.g., turning the snow scooter 10. Theforward portion 12 may also include a grooved surface.

As shown in FIGS. 7-10, exemplary embodiments of the present inventionmay include an increased traction surface on support surface 30. Thetraction surface may stop at the portion of the rearward portion 28 thatcurves upward or the increased traction surface may extend up onto thecurved portion at the front and/or back of the rearward portion 28. Thetraction surface may be plain as shown in FIG. 7 or may include a designand/or logo as shown in FIG. 8. The increased traction surface may be asecond surface that is affixed to the rearward portion 28 as shown inthe figures. The increased traction surface may be manufactured from avariety of materials, such as pliant foam, foam rubber or hard rubber.

The preferred snow scooter 10 additionally includes a brake member mostpreferably in the form of a plate 60 extending downwardly from an aftsite of the bottom surface 62 of the rearward portion 28 for travelwithin snow and stopping the snow scooter 10 by creating resistancewithin the snow when downward pressure is applied on the support surface30 above the plate 60.

Preferably, the snow scooter 10 also includes a skag 64 to aid instability of the snow scooter. The skag 64 is preferably attached to thebrake plate 60. FIG. 12 shows a detachable skag 64 attached to the brakeplate 60. FIG. 13 shows the skag 64 of FIG. 12 detached from the brakeplate 60. The skag 64 may be attached to and detached from the brakeplate 60 with one or more fastening devices, such as screws.

The brake may be employed in a manual fashion with the rider applyingdownward pressure on the support surface 30 above the brake plate 60.For example, the brake plate shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 includes a flatsurface portion (that attaches to the bottom of the rearward portion ofthe snow scooter) and a downward curving portion. The downward curvingportion pushes into the snow when downward pressure is applied over thebrake plate.

In other embodiments, the brake may be a mechanical brake, such as theone shown in FIGS. 14-16. The mechanical brake 60 is pressed downwardagainst the surface of the snow when the rider exerts downward pressureon a brake pedal 66. Brake pedal 66 is attached to the upper surface 30of the rearward portion 28 via attachment means 70, such as springs,that are attached to attachment plate 68. The rider normally keeps thefront portion of his foot (his toes) on attachment plate 68. When therider wishes to activate the brake 60, the rider simply moves his footforward onto brake pedal 66. The springs 70 cause the brake pedal 66 andthe attached brake member 60 to bias in a downward direction such thatthe brake member 60 is pushed into the snow. It will be appreciated thatthe brake pedal 66 may vary in shape and size in various embodiments ofthe invention.

Operation of the snow scooter 10 generally begins as a user orients thestem 14 in a generally vertical configuration and chooses a desiredpitch of the forward portion 12. The user then steps aboard the supportsurface 30 of the rearward portion 28 and begins travel down a ski trailrun. During this travel, the user can determine the direction of thesnow scooter 10 by turning the handlebar set 20 which, of course,laterally directs the forward portion 14 and aims the snow scooter 10.Full speed travel is generally achieved by maintaining foot contact atabout the forward two-thirds of the top surface 30 such that pressure isnot applied over the top of the brake plate 60. Conversely, when slowingor stopping the snow scooter 10 is desired, the user places a foot onthe top surface 30 at a site above the brake plate 60 and appliesdownward pressure, thereby forcing the plate 60 into the snow to createresistance and decrease velocity. In this manner, the user is able toenjoy a snowboarding-type sport while simultaneously having aneasy-to-ride snow scooter for enjoyment in navigating a ski-trail run.

In exemplary embodiments the handle bars 106 are collapsible as shown inFIGS. 23-25. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 23-25, a spring bias latchmechanism, such as a detent, is used to secure the handle bars 106 inthe operational configuration shown in FIG. 23. If the user wishes tocollapse the handlebars 106 to the position shown in FIG. 25, the userpresses a latch button 100 in order to unlatch and release thehandlebars 106. To prevent inadvertent collapsing of the handlebars 106,preferred embodiments, such as the one shown, include a securitylatching feature. For example, in the embodiment shown, one handlebarend 106 includes a threaded end 102 and the other handle bar end 106includes a receiving means 104 configured to receive the threaded end102. Exemplary embodiments also include a connecting device 108, such asrope or tubing to prevent the handle bars 106 from becoming completelydisengaged from the stem 14 of the direction controller when the handlebars are in the collapsed configuration shown in FIG. 25.

FIGS. 17-18 illustrate an embodiment of the snow scooter 10 whichincludes a tread 84 mounted to the underside of the rearward portion 28of the snow scooter. In the embodiment shown, there are two rollers 85attached to the rearward portion 28 of the snow scooter via brackets 86.The tread 84 allows the rider to use the scooter in difficult terrain,for example, on flat or uphill surfaces.

FIGS. 19-22 illustrate another embodiment of the snow scooter 10 whichis battery powered. Such an embodiment combines the benefits of theembodiments shown in FIGS. 1-16 with those of the embodiment shown inFIGS. 17-18. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 19-22 allows the rider to usethe battery power, if desired, to help propel the scooter throughdifficult terrain. The motor is located in a housing. In the embodimentillustrated, batteries 92, 94 supply power to a motor which rotateswheels 96. The wheels in the illustrated embodiment resemble a paddlewheel. It will be appreciated that other wheel designs, such as a deeptreaded wheel may be used. In its normal configuration, the wheels arein the housing which is located on the top surface towards the front ofthe rearward portion. Thus, the wheels are not touching the snow and thesnow scooter's operation is the same as if there were no wheels.However, if the user wanted to use the wheels, he simply presses a footpedal 96 to lower the wheels into the snow via lever 97. Like thetreaded snow scooter shown in FIGS. 17-28, the wheels 96 aid the user intraversing difficult terrain. While the embodiment shown includes oneset of motorized wheels in the front of the rearward portion 28 of thescooter, it will be appreciated that other configurations are possible,for example, there may be another set of motorized wheels toward theback of the rearward portion of the snow scooter.

FIGS. 26-27 illustrate a rollable embodiment 11 of the steerable sportsscooter. The rollable embodiment 11 is similar to the steerable snowscooter 10 described above and additionally includes wheels 110 fortraveling over solid surfaces such as concrete or pavement. In thepreferred embodiments shown, the steerable rollable scooter includes twowheels 110 attached to the bottom surface of the forward portion 12 andtwo wheels attached to the bottom surface of the rearward portion 28. Itwill be appreciated that other embodiments may have he wheels in adifferent location such as more towards the center of the rearwardportion 28. Other embodiments may include a different number of wheels,e.g., an additional set of wheels on the rearward portion or, one oremore centered wheels, like roller blades.

The wheels 110 are attached to the forward portion 12 and the rearwardportion 28 using trucks 112. The trucks 112 are known in the art and areused, for example, for attaching wheels to skateboards. The trucks 112aid in the manoeuverability of the scooter 11.

Preferably, the wheelable scooter 11 also includes a brake (not shown)to aid in the stopping of the scooter 11.

While an illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of theinvention has been described in detail herein, it is to be understoodthat the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied andemployed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed toinclude such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.

1. (Cancelled).
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 3. (Cancelled).
 4. (Cancelled).
 5. Asteerable snow scooter comprising: a) a bi-laterally pivotableindependent forward portion for traveling over snow; b) a hand-operabledirection controller in communication with the forward portion; c) anindependent rearward portion having a top surface and a bottom surfaceand a front end and a rear end and defining a pair of opposing sideedges, the independent rearward portion for traveling over snow, therearward portion including a brake aperture formed therethrough andbeing located adjacent to the rear end and positioned midway between theside edges, said rearward portion in secured communication with theforward portion and having a support surface upon which to stand; and d)a brake member positioned near the rear end of the rearward portion, thebrake member being configured as a mechanical brake member comprising abrake pedal connected to a brake plate, of unitary construction having aflat surface portion and a downwardly curved portion extendingtherefrom, the brake pedal and brake plate being sized complementary tothe brake aperture and being configured to be rotated therethrough whenpressed downwardly such that the brake plate is moved into contact withthe surface of the snow.
 6. The steerable snow scooter as claimed inclaim 5 wherein the brake pedal is pivotally attached to an uppersurface of the rearward portion.
 7. The steerable snow scooter asclaimed in claim 6 wherein the brake pedal is attached to the uppersurface of the rearward portion with at least one spring that isattached to an attachment plate, the spring being configured to bias thebrake plate upwardly away from the snow when the mechanical brake memberis unused.
 8. The steerable snow scooter as claimed in claim 7 whereinthe mechanical brake is employed by exerting pressure on the brakepedal.
 9. The steerable snow scooter as claimed in claim 5, furthercomprising a skag positioned near the rear end of the rearward portionfor stabilizing the snow scooter during travel on snow.
 10. Thesteerable snow scooter as claimed in claim 9 wherein the skag isremovable.
 11. The steerable snow scooter as claimed in claim 9 whereinthe skag is integral with the brake member.
 12. The steerable snowscooter as claimed in claim 5 further comprising a tread positionedbelow the bottom of the rearward portion for facilitating movement ofthe snow scooter during travel on snow.
 13. The steerable snow scooteras claimed in claim 5 further comprising at least one wheeled componentfor facilitating movement of the snow scooter during travel on snow. 14.The steerable snow scooter as claimed in claim 13 wherein the at leastone wheeled component is a motorized wheeled component.
 15. Thesteerable snow scooter as claimed in claim 14 wherein the at least onemotorized wheeled component is powered by at least one battery.
 16. Thesteerable snow scooter as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least onewheeled component is retractable.
 17. The steerable snow scooter asclaimed in claim 5, wherein the bottom surface of the rearward portionis grooved.
 18. The steerable snow scooter as claimed in claim 5,wherein the top surface of the rearward portion comprises an increasedtraction surface.
 19. The steerable snow scooter as claimed in claim 5wherein the hand-operable direction controller comprises collapsiblehandle bars.
 20. The steerable snow scooter as claimed in claim 19wherein the collapsible handle bars comprise a secure latching mechanismto prevent inadvertent collapsing of the collapsible handle bars. 21.(Cancelled).
 22. (Cancelled).
 23. (Cancelled).
 24. (Cancelled). 25.(Cancelled).
 26. (Cancelled).
 27. (Cancelled).
 28. (Cancelled). 29.(Cancelled).
 30. (Cancelled).
 31. (Cancelled).